Obituary of Darlene Elizabeth Hayward
It is with broken hearts that the family of Darlene Hayward, loving wife of the late Ronald Hayward, announce her passing which occurred on November 18, 2023, at the Saint John Regional Hospital.
Born in Saint John, NB, Darlene was the daughter of the late William and Helena (Bastarache) Donnelly.
Upon graduating from Mount Carmel, Darlene started her career at the Bank of Nova Scotia, Paradise Row Branch. After her marriage to the love of her life, Ronald, they moved to Fredericton where he finished his degree. Darlene worked at St. Thomas University, in the Registrar’s office. When they moved back to Saint John, Darlene started work at Canada Customs where she retired in 1991 after many years of service.
As lifetime "Westsiders", their home was always open to family and friends. Their home was a focal point for many gatherings, and you could drop in any time, day or night. Darlene was like a second mother to many of her son’s friends.
While raising her two sons, Jeffrey and Ian, Darlene was a constant supporter of their sports endeavours, never missing a game. This also carried over to her grandchildren. She was proud to tell everyone of her family's accomplishments. She kept scrapbooks and photos of all their milestones.
To Darlene, family was everything. She never missed a gathering, social event, or someone's birthday. Those close to Darlene and celebrating a birthday will always remember her beautiful voice singing her Marilyn Monroe rendition of "Happy Birthday", either in person or by leaving a personalized voice message.
Darlene was a master bridge player and loved attending out of town tournaments in the USA and Canada. She had a devoted group of friends that she played with for many years.
Most of all, Darlene, was a "people" person. She took an interest in everyone she met and loved to chat for hours.
Darlene is survived by her son Jeffrey (Jodi), daughter-in-law Helen, grandchildren Jackson, Allyson, Jessica and Jillian, and many special nieces and nephews. Predeceased by son, Ian Donnelly Hayward, sisters Mary Fitzpatrick, Patricia Poulos, brothers William & James Donnelly.
The family would like to give a special thank you to the doctors, nurses of the Saint John Regional Hospital dialysis unit and especially to the dedicated staff of Embassy Hall who made Darlene's previous year comfortable and happy.
We will end this the same way that Darlene always said her goodbyes to everyone by saying, "Love you a hundred times a hundred, a thousand times a thousand, around the world and back again."
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (506-634-7424). Visiting will be held on Friday, November 24, 2023, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated from Stella Maris Church on Bayside Drive on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at 10 am, with interment to follow in Holy Cross Cemetery. A Livestream of the service will be available by clicking on Darlene's obituary on Brenan's website. For those who wish, remembrances to a charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated by the family and may be placed at www.BrenansFH.com.
